


On The Road To Happiness

by KassandraScarlett



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Iron Family, Light Angst, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Not Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Compliant, Tony Stark Lives
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-15 15:35:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,375
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29438370
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KassandraScarlett/pseuds/KassandraScarlett
Summary: It takes a while to recover from the war, to learn how to be whole again.
Relationships: Pepper Potts/Tony Stark
Comments: 3
Kudos: 35





	On The Road To Happiness

**Author's Note:**

  * For [irondadismyreligion](https://archiveofourown.org/users/irondadismyreligion/gifts).



> For the Pepperony Valentine's Day Gift Exchange: I tried to include all the elements you like. Hope you like it <3

_ “And I… Am… Iron Man.” _

_ Pepper screamed, but somehow, the sound of the snapping of the gauntlet was an echo that reverberated through the air. _

_ “Pep.” Face half-burnt, hair matted with blood and dust, armour torn apart… Somehow, he could still smile at her. _

_ “Tony,” Pepper sobbed, because his eyes were closed now and she couldn’t be strong anymore. “Tony… Please…” She couldn’t pretend it was okay, couldn’t pretend it was alright, because Tony was gone and the world might move on, but Pepper? “TONY!” _

_ “Pep! Wake up, hey, Pepper-” _ The voice changed, becoming clearer. “-it’s okay, shh, it’s just a dream, baby, you’re okay, just wake up.”

Pepper gasped, instinctively gripping the hands that were settled around her shoulders. “Tony?” She called out, voice weak and sleep-heavy.

He paused. “Hey,” he said softly. “You with me?”

She gave a little hum, not trusting her voice.

“FRI, lights on dim.”

The soft lamps were switched on and Pepper could see now- the way Tony was propped up on an elbow, leaning over her with concern on his face. She reached up, placing her hand against the center of his chest, the skin permanently scarred and rough under her palm. The arc reactor was long gone, but sometimes, she could almost feel the unnatural warmth of it.

“It never changes,” she said- complained, really- through hitched breathing and restrained sobs. “It’s been two months and, and it’s always, always you, always that stupid gauntlet and, and the light going out and you, you saying my name and, and-”

“Pepper, breathe!” There was alarm there now and her hand on his chest was forcibly shifted a little, so she could feel the ever-unsteady heartbeat.

She screwed her eyes shut, deliberately taking deep breaths, trying to match Tony’s.

“I’m sorry,” she mumbled, as redundant as it was.

“Not your fault.” Tony chuckled softly. “Not like I haven’t had my fair share of nightmares that kept you up.”

Pepper frowned. “You’ve almost died more times than most people,” she pointed out. “So, I think you’re entitled.”

He dropped a kiss to her forehead and lay back down. “And you’ve been through a lot of emotional trauma because of me, so let’s call it even.”

Pepper took a deep breath. The tables had turned a little since that very first alien invasion in New York. Back then, it used to be Tony who woke up screaming more nights than not. And now, though he still had his fair share of bad dreams, Pepper had the monopoly.

“Does it ever get better?” She asked quietly, closing her eyes and turning in his arms.

She could feel him sigh against the back of her neck. “I don’t know.”

* * *

Three months later, Tony found the courage to wander down to the workshop again. Pepper and he were talking about moving back to the Tower, now that Morgan was old enough to start school. He needed to check in with FRIDAY, discuss how many of the physical projects were to be brought along to New York and how many could be just kept here.

“What do you say, sweetheart?” Tony called out, clapping his hands to get her attention- which was actually redundant, but, old habits and all that.

_ “ _ **_All good here, boss._ ** _ ” _ FRIDAY sounded a lot more cheerful these days. Probably because of the constant communication with KAREN.

Tony really needed to talk to the kid about his naming skills. “You ready to go back home?”

_ “ _ **_Always._ ** _ ” _

Tony smiled and carefully seated himself on the work stool. “Alright, show me every project we have on file that we started. Start from the most recent.”

The thing with Tony’s AIs is that, no matter how intelligent and emotionally advanced they are, their primary directive still includes following Tony’s instructions.

So, of course, FRIDAY didn't think twice before bringing up the last project Tony had worked on in this little basement of his cabin: the time-space GPS.

Tony stumbled off the stool, flinching away from the blue light of the holograms that almost seemed blinding all of a sudden. His eyes slammed shut, but the glow persisted, blue turning white, phantom pain shooting all over him, and it was too much, too hot, too cold, too painful-

“Daddy?”

Tony jerked upright, realizing he’d landed on the floor at some point. Morgan was kneeling beside him, guileless eyes big with worry as she stared at him.

“Hey,” he managed to say. “What’cha doin’ here, Maguna? Thought we agreed you weren’t supposed to come in here without supervision.”

“You’re here for sup-er-vision .” She rolled the  _ r _ , clearly liking the new word.

“Touche, little missy,” Tony muttered, smiling even through the glaring reality of the panic attack he’d just had. “So, why’d you come here?”

“Mommy said you might need my help,” she explained.

Tony sighed, pulling her into a hug. “Thanks, honey,” he told her. “FRI?”

“ **_Sorry, Boss._ ** ” Poor thing sounded guilty. “ **_I should have known-_ ** ”

“It’s fine, don’t worry about it. You were born to learn, baby, making mistakes is a part of that.” He took a deep breath. “Show me again,” he instructed.

After a deliberate pause, the hologram lit up again, with the same diagram. Tony tightened his arms around Morgan, relaxing again when she squirmed. 

“Okay,” he said softly to himself. “Okay, then. We’re okay.”

* * *

“Ever think about quitting?” 

Pepper snorted, looking away from her laptop to where Tony was lounged on the sofa in her office. “And leave the company in whose hands? Yours?” She teased.

He shot her a grin. “Hey, you learned your stuff from me, Miss Potts, don’t you forget that.”

“How could I?” It was mostly a joke, but it was also true. “Still, you hated being in charge.”

“If I ever take over the world, Pepper, I’d hand it over to you in the next second,” Tony told her seriously. “Which, by the way, in all seriousness, how difficult do you think it would be? Taking over the world. I mean, we already have a monopoly in clean energy and huge stakes in the medical technology sector and enough of a hand in utilities that we can expand if we want to. I’ve got the Iron Legion primed at all times- and no, that does not mean I’m going to put on the suit ever again, barring another murderous entity who wants to destroy the world- but the Legion are big enough to occupy- Pep?”

Pepper wasn’t listening. She was too taken in by the file on her laptop; the tiny blue icon saved under the name  _ THANOS. _

“What is this?” She could barely recognize her own voice, low and broken. “What is- what’s this for?”

Tony had hurried over to her side, bending slightly to see the screen, and she could pinpoint the moment he saw what she was looking at, could feel him go tense as it registered.

“It’s just research,” he said quietly. “5 years’ worth of it. On… On him.”

“Research?” Pepper swivelled her chair around to look him in the eye.

He looked drawn, tired, older than even the 53 years he carried on his shoulders. “Five years of half the world being gone,” he murmured and there was a faraway blankness to his gaze. “Five years- I wanted to bring them home. Even when I stopped actively trying, I couldn’t stop… I couldn’t give up completely.” He focused, visibly shaking himself and offering her a wry smile. “Sorry. I forgot to delete it from your laptop when I deleted the copy on mine and on FRIDAY’s servers.”

Pepper looked back at the laptop. The file mocked her, the bright colour of it grating against her eyes.

“I’m glad you never gave up,” she admitted. “I’m… I gave you a lot of grief. But…” She returned his smile, just as ironic. “That’s one of the reasons I love you anyway.”

For a long moment, Tony held her gaze, just as sombre. She could see him debating on how to answer, could see him making his choice.

“One of the reasons?” He repeated, lips curving into a grin that, quite suddenly, made him look younger again, closer to the rakishly charming playboy who’d given her a pick-up line, a job, and a nickname, all in the same breath, almost twenty years ago. “I’m really excited to hear the rest.”

Pepper rolled her eyes and laughed. “You need to leave my office, Mr Stark. Before I sue you for harassment.”

“You wouldn’t, you love me too much to do that,” Tony argued.

Pepper raised an eyebrow and pressed the intercom. “Happy, please escort Mr Stark back home so I can get to my meeting.”

“You cruel mistress,” Tony pouted. “See you at home, honey.”

“Bye.”

The door closed and she was left in silence to pack up the folders and drive she needed for the meeting. Before leaving, she hovered at her desk for another few moments. Then she deleted the offending file and walked out.

* * *

“ **_Boss, Doctor Stephen Strange is here to see you._ ** ”

“Really?” Tony frowned, confused. “Any idea why?”

“ **_No, Boss. Though he does appear to be slightly nervous, judging from his marginally elevated pulse and facial expressions._ ** ”

“Huh. Send him in.”

In the two minutes it took Strange to appear at the glass doors of his lab, Tony had gone through a dozen scenarios, possible explanations for why the doctor-turned-Sabrina would come visit him. 11 out of twelve possibilities were disturbing.

“Doc,” he greeted, wiping his grease-stained hands on a rag of cloth as FRIDAY let the man in. “How can I help? Existence-threatening monsters? Technological mishaps? Fridge run out of food?”

“I owe you an apology.” Strange looked grim, his voice cringing hollow across the space.

Tony froze, suddenly unable to meet Strange’s eyes. “Lots of people do,” he quipped back- except it was the truth, wasn’t it? “So, get in line, I guess?”

Strange nodded. “Well, I’d like to be first. I’m not in the habit of waiting.”

Tony nodded, pursing his lips in an effort to keep quiet for a minute. 

Strange took a deep breath. “There was more than one future in which we won,” he admitted. “But, in all of them, we suffered great losses.”

_ Greater than losing half of the world’s population? _ Tony wanted to snap. But his mind made the connection in the next instant. “You mean… More permanent losses.”

“Yes,” Strange confirmed. “The path I chose… It was the only one I could bear to let happen.”

Tony shook his head, feeling the faded dredges of anger welling up half-heartedly. “You could have warned me,” he muttered, even as he knew it was illogical.

Strange’s smile was brittle- nothing like the arrogant superiority he’d displayed when they’d bantered on the donut ship. “It never would have worked.” He hesitated. “There’s something else.”

“Now what?” Tony attempted a chuckle, but it was forced, almost hysterical.

Strange sighed. “I chose this future for one other reason,” he said. “Because… Because it was the only one where you survived.”

Tony frowned, not understanding. “Why was that even a factor in your calculations?”

This time, Strange’s smile was softer. “Because, of all the people I have ever known, no one deserves a happy ending more than you do, Tony.” The first name sounded oddly fond in his voice. “And the futures I saw made me realize that.”

There was a sudden lump in Tony’s throat, something that made it hard to reply glibly.

“So, do me a favour and enjoy this life.” Strange started walking back out. “You’ve earned it.”

The glass doors slid close behind him and Tony was left in silence for a long time. His eyes fell on the old arc reactor on display, the one Pepper had memorialized for him.

_ Proof that Tony Stark has a heart. _

Yeah. Maybe it was time he learned to live his life again.

* * *

The knock barely fazed Pepper. “Come in,” she called. 

But it wasn’t her door that opened. It was the window. Of her office on the 50th floor of the building.

“Shit,” she cursed, jumping almost out of her skin as a red-and-blue bundle of spandex-clad limbs tumbled to her floor. “Peter Parker!”

“Sorry!” The mask came off and the teenager smiled up at her sheepishly. “Uh… Phone battery died. Couldn’t call.”

Pepper took a deep breath. “Okay, well… Use the main entrance next time, alright? Do not climb 50 stories up.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he said dutifully.

But the sincere look in his eyes was one that she had seen on Tony too many times and she knew her words weren’t going to stick with him.

“Mr Stark said you would have my internship certificate,” Peter said. “And, um, I figured I could pick it up now? But it’s okay if you’re not done yet, I just thought I’d stop by, and it’s not even like I’m skipping class-”

“Peter,” Pepper interrupted, peering closely at the boy. “Have you been sleeping?”

There was no answer. 

Pepper sighed. “Take a nap,” she instructed, pointing to the couch in the corner of her office. “FRIDAY will tell me if you’re faking.”

“But…” Peter huffed out a frustrated breath. “It’s hard, okay? I can’t… I keep seeing…”

Pepper softened. This kid was too much like Tony and it tugged at her heartstrings. “I know,” she assured quietly. “But you’re not alone in that.”

Peter slumped slightly. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be.” Pepper picked up her phone. “I’ll talk to your aunt. Just get some rest.”

* * *

“You okay?”

Pepper leaned into Tony’s side, revelling in the warmth. They were sitting out on the terrace and it was oddly comfortable, up here in the cool air, looking down at the city lights that seemed so distant. From inside the penthouse, they could hear Peter and Harley entertaining Morgan, mildly roughhousing each other to her resulting giggles.

“I’m good,” she murmured, lost in the familiar motion of his fingers stroking along her side. “You?”

Tony nudged her slightly. She looked up, meeting his liquid brown eyes and gentle smile.

“I’m happy,” he said simply and kissed her.

_ Happy _ … Yes, that was the perfect word for this. They were happy.

So Pepper kissed back and let the world around them fade away.

**Author's Note:**

> My Tumblr: kassyscarlett


End file.
